The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-11-26
SCENES IN HYDeRABAD.


IAmnHl
Battlemented City.
All agree in calling Hybcra1ad TIE
most interesting city in India 1t is the
people themselves, the street life, the
medieval pageants and pomp, which
fascinate. Every thing seems to have
stood still for centuries One is
plunged suddenly into the age of the
cavaliers. The town is battlcmcnted
and ditchcd and jealousy guarded In
fact, a permit from the residents is
necessary for Europeans who wish 20
enter the walls
Once over the bridge spanning the
half-dried stream, where elephants ate
sp!ashing in the deep pools and hum
dreds of 'dhobies" are pounding and
scrubbing the linens of the Hydcrab1iro
households, and what a Kaleidoscope
tumble meets the eye in the donsely
crowded streetsl There are loug grows Of
low, whitewashed buildings, with IA
cades of Saracenic arches, under which
the merchants squat among piles OF
cotton goods, silks, carpets, brass-ware.
grain, etc, sucking meditatively the ann
Der mouthpiece of the inevitable club
ble-bubble;" money-changers chewing
betel-leaf and rafting their bags of
"hallisicker" rupees, or Jumps of rough
cut silver and copper. On the fiat, ter
raced roofs yelled women are curiocSly
pessiM5 st the yelling throng below
through latticed screens, reminding one
of Stamboul or Cairo. Elephants gor-
geously caparisoned saddlcd with silver
''howdahn in which "Nawabs," clad in
brilliantly embroidered silks and vel
vets. reclinc on cushions; camels on
which are perched the Arab soldiers Of
the Nizama armed with lance and
shield; prancing little horses from the
Persian gulf mounted by sharp-featured,
mitercd Parsecs, bankers or great mer-
chants, are seen; while the multi-c0l-
ored throng of pedestrians, Enthusiastically
arrayed, OF scarce arrayed ut all, as the
case may be, rolls increasingly to and
fro.
To the uninitiated stranger it would
seem that the whole population is about
to rush forth to do battle with some in
visible enemy, for all are fiercely,
alarmingly hung about with murderous
weapons, from the great noble, with
his bejeweled napier dashing by, fol-
lowed by his escort of Arab cavalry,
with swords drawn or lances bent, to
the peaceful "ryot," who has brought
in his little harvest of fruit or grain, q
spear and shield in his hand, and wear
ing girdle full of cleaning knives
and ancient pistols, and from the Nizam
with sword-hilt scintilating with the
gems of yonder Golconda treasure
house, to the "Sais," who runs before
your elephant, dagger between his
teeth. A poor devil may have no
cloak, no turban. but he is sure to have
a couple of long-bladed knives thrust
into his meager loin-cloth or long
barreled Arab gun slung across his
bare shoulder Fastened on the per-
sons of the Hyderabadees one sees
every variety of death-dealing weapon
the curved cimeter, jagged ''tulwar. u
double-edged crusader, undulating
blades of blush steel, perlidious, slim
stilettoes and battle-axes, with every
conceivable form Of modern and an
cient gun and pistol, blunderbuss and
matchbox. Many carry round shields
of transparent rhinoceros hide, gilded
and painted, or of steel deliberately in
crusted with graceful designs in gold
or silver. N Y. Post.